The End of Alex Rider
by TJ Jordan
Summary: Three years after Alex Rider's disappearance and the events of "Scorpia Rising", the world is entering a new era of peace for the first time in years. But when a mysterious new threat emerges, Sabina Pleasure and Tom Harris team up with Smithers to find Alex in order to save the world once more. And this time, this is 'the end'. The end of Alex Rider.
1. Where Are You, Alex Rider

**The End of Alex Rider**

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**For those of you who are new to my fanfiction stories, my name is TJ Jordan. And for those who do know me from my earlier works, I welcome you back for more stories and am happy you have decided to return. Now, as for this new story project that I am doing, I really don't know for sure if I am going to continue this one or not. It all depends on how much of a success it is going to be. I am in the middle of doing a Peter Pan story and really want to do some 'one-shots' for a few other stories that I love. But, however, I've run into some writer's block along the way and even forced to revisit my Peter Pan project in order to sort out a few story details that need my attention to figuring out. With my writer's block out of the way, I still find myself unable to get back to coming up with new ideas for my story. So, as a way of 'jump-starting' my brain, I've decided to write this story that I had for another Alex Rider story. As a warning, I can't promise that I will continue this story. I can promise that if the reviews for this story are good and if I'm up for the task of it, I will continue. But it all depends on how well you receive this story.**

**Also, I apologize for those who have read and followed my previous Alex Rider story, "Alex Rider: Moving On", I know that all of you have been waiting for over a year for me to do another story and I am sorry for the long wait. I know that the story that I originally told some of you from a long time ago, that I was thinking of doing, isn't the one I am doing now. I actually scrapped that idea and came up with a new one that I am more interested in doing. But I do hope that you find this story more interesting as well.**

**And just one more apology to those who are reading my ''Legend of Peter Pan'' story. I'm terribly sorry for the long wait on a update. I know its been months, but I've run into problems that I needed to change for the story and figure out more details in order to know what I'm doing. I promise I will try to update soon.**

**As for information on the story I am doing, I will say that it takes place three years after the events of ''Scorpia Rising" and does take a new direction from how the actual ninth installment in the series ended. I'm going for a more darker version of Alex Rider and maybe even try to focus a little more on the romance between him and Sabina (but I'll see what I can do). But the main plot of the story revolves around Alex disappearing after the events of the ninth book and also a new threat. It was an idea that I came up with that just made sense to me and I wanted to go with it. I hope you all like what I have in store, especially for the title of story itself.**

**Ladies and gentles, I represent my eighth fanfiction story and second Alex Rider project, _"The End of Alex Rider". _Please enjoy! ;)**

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**Chapter One:**

**Where Are You, Alex Rider?**

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Alex Rider hanged on from the part of the bridge that barely remained intact, just a couple of feet from the ground of the sinkhole that Razim was now stuck in. He could feel the weight of his body making it hard for him to hold on and not fall in along with him, but he managed to find a good position to keep himself from falling. He looked back towards Razim, who was now starting to sink into the salt that he was collecting from the desert.

"Help me," Razim said, trying to keep himself from sinking any faster.

Alex couldn't move, not without causing himself to fall in. But a part of him didn't want to help Razim, not after everything that has happened. Especially after what he did to... _her._

Razim tried to reach for Alex's feet, but he was to far away. The attempt only made him sink to his waist. He could feel the salt beginning to crush his bones and other things inside of him. The weight of to much for him and he yelled in pain.

"Please..." he whimpered. "Help me! Throw me a rope!"

Alex almost took pity on him, until he saw the hideous, evil smile on his face, staring back at him. He could feel the anger and rage filling up then. He was taken back to when he killed _her_. When he took the one thing that mattered to him most in this world.

The salt was already at Razim's neck and it was literally penetrating his skin, going through his pores. The heat of salt from the sun was cooking the inside of him, almost as if he was being roasted alive. Even white foam began to come out of his month at that moment. It was terrible to watch, even for Alex himself.

"I beat you!" Razim declared. "I broke you! And you know it! You may have cheated me this day! But I'm better than you, _Alex Rider_! I should have won, but you cheated me! I may die this day, but you will live with something that Scorpia and I have given you! Something worse than death itself! We took your friend and you will leave with the rest of your life knowing that we did, and that you caused it all to happen! You will never know peace as I have never have! You will live as if you are already dead! Remember what we did to you! Remember!"

Alex watched in horror as Razim's head began to disappear beneath the salt and sand. And for that small, brief moment of those few seconds their eyes met. Alex saw the blank expression on his face and those soulless eyes. And a part of him knew that he was telling the truth. He could sense it.

"Alex..." Razim spoke his last words as he disappeared beneath the salt, leaving behind a small dent spot of where he once was, only to be filled back up, wiping away any evidence of Razim himself. Like a broom to dust.

Alex felt a pair of hands grab him by the arms.

"We've got you!" said a voice.

Alex was pulled up by two CIA agents from where he was hanging and brought back onto the small bridge that overlooked the area of where Razim had fallen. He was helped down the staircase by the two agents and left alone as soon they had made it outside. And for that brief moment, Alex took everything in. He saw Razim's men being lined up against the wall, with their hands over their heads, by members of the American and Egyptians special forces. It was all over. Scorpia had lost and Razim was dead. It was supposed to be a huge victory. But not for Alex. It never was for him.

Somebody handed Alex a waterbottle and he took it, nearly drinking the entire thing from being so exhausted.

"Are you okay?" someone asked him.

Alex nodded, but he knew deep down that he wasn't okay. A part of him wondered if he ever will be okay.

"Stay here. We've radioed Cairo and Joe Byrne is on the way with more men. It's all over."

Alex didn't respond as the man walked away. He stood there and drank the last of the water from the bottle, dropping it to the ground as if it didn't matter to him.

He finally turned walked away from where all of the activity was taking place and went outside of the area of the fort and came to a stop beside a _burned-out car. _Without warning and meaning to, Alex fell to his knees and stared straight at the car in front of him. He didn't even cry. Instead, he stared with a blank expression, without any emotion of any kind. And it scared him a little bit.

This was where Jack Starbright _died_. _Died_ trying to save him. _Died _trying to do what he should have done. _Died _at the wrong place, at the wrong time. _Died _when it should have been him.

He could almost see the body of her just from where he was kneeing. He could smell the dead flesh that came from the car itself. It should have made him sick, but it didn't. He was so lost in his pain and anger that he literally couldn't recognize it. It was almost as if he couldn't smell or feel anything.

Memories came flowing back into Alex's mind. He remembered the birthday parties that he and Jack would celebrate, both his and hers. He remembered the times when they would go to the movies, the park, and even to the museum. But he particularly remembered the small, fifteen minute meals that Jack would make. She never made anything that took longer than fifteen minutes to make. It made Alex mad sometimes. But now he would give anything to experience that once more. To hear her argue with him and laugh with him. It was she who raised him when his parents couldn't. It was she who was there for him when his uncle was off on missions for MI6. It was she who gave him something to fight for when he was facing enemies who wanted to destroy the world.

But now, she was gone. Dead. He will never get to experience anything with her again. The one piece in his life that kept him intact and now, it was gone.

Suddenly, Alex allowed the tears to come and let them roll down his cheeks. He let the pain out and didn't do anything to stop it. A part of him wanted to feel this. To experience what he was going through, instead of keeping it bottled up. Even if it didn't do anything for him.

He had given everything to MI6. His life, his skills, his youth, and now _Jack. _His parents were dead and so was Ian, his uncle. But now, they had taken Jack from him. The last piece of human connection he had in this life. Who was next? Sabina? Tom?

The anger returned. His face grew red and the tears stopped. He couldn't take it anymore. He hated what he has become. What MI6 has done to him. What the CIA and Scorpia has done to him. And... _he was done! _

Without hesitation, Alex got up from the sand and stood. He turned towards the desert itself, just as the sun was beginning to set for the day. He looked back towards the car, right at the driver's seat.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Alex said.

And just like that, he looked away and began to walk into the desert. Not once looking back.

* * *

About a few minutes later, a group of American and Egyptian forces reached the burnt-car. They had been circling the fort, searching for Alex, wondering where he could be. They searched everything, inside the huge fort, including the dungeon. But no one had seen any sign of him.

Joe Byrne, who was an hour out by helicopter, was talking with one of the commanders of the operation on a satellite phone, telling him keep searching until Alex was found. The sun had already set and darkness had almost covered up the entire desert itself.

Finally, some of the men found footprints in the sand, barely seeing where they were heading with the little light that there was.

Within the next hour, Joe Byrne arrived in a helicopter, who was on the phone with Mrs. Jones, who was pressuring him on news of Alex and if he was found yet. After barely managing to get off the phone with her, he approached the area of where the men found the trail of Alex's foot steps, leading directly into the desert itself. He ordered a series of helicopters to search the desert for him. But some part of him knew that wasn't possible. Even with heat and night vision it would be no use for a desert that big, let alone the fact that many Arabic people travel at night in the desert as well, when it is at its coolest.

One question remained in his mind.

_Where are you, Alex Rider?_

* * *

**Three Years Later**

* * *

The streets of London filled with cars and people, all going about of their daily lives, heading for their jobs or homes. A large black limousine drove through the security gates of the brand-new headquarters of MI6. The old cover, "Royal &amp; General", was shut down about a year after the incident in Cairo. Apparently, the_ bank_ made relocated to a newer and bigger building just on the outskirts of the city, allowing more cover and clearance for its agents and workers. It was Mrs. Jones idea to move the headquarters after she was officially made the Head of the MI6 Operations.

The limousine parked in front of the large doors and Mrs. Jones got out, carrying a small bag with her. She walked inside and went straight to the elevator, where she pressed a secret, hidden button, which revealed a keypad and computer right next to her. She typed in the passcode and the elevator activated to go down, instead of up like it usually does. After about three floors, the elevator stopped and the doors opened, with Mrs. Jones making way to her office.

Once entering her office she saw her assistant placing her morning coffee on the table, along with some green apples as breakfast as well. She dismissed her and turned on the TV as she got to work.

Things had changed since she had become the leading Director of MI6. Ever since the downfall of Scorpia, every agency in the world had stepped up their game to wipe out terrorist organizations around the world. Even Al-Qaeda was reduced to nothing more than mercenaries-for-hire now, thanks to the CIA and Middle East agencies teaming up. Even though Alex Rider's involvement was only a myth, told by conspiracy theorists and whispers by agents, the world saw Scorpia's fall as big inspiration to do the same to other organizations. It was a long three years, but it seemed as if the good guys were now winning the fight. And they were.

But with the downfall of organized terrorist crimes, the world was now crying out for something more. Declaring all governments to come together and make sure the world never again experiences the same ordeal with such evil organizations like Scorpia. They were calling for a single agency, one that had the right to do things that other government agencies could never do. And that meant putting them out of the business.

The door to Mrs. Jones' office opened and the assistant appeared.

"Mrs. Jones," she said. "Joe Byrne is ready for you."

Mrs. Jones nodded and said, "Thank you."

Just as the assistant left a hologram of a computer screen appeared over her glass desk and the face of Joe Byrne himself appeared before her.

"Hello, Mrs. Jones," he said. "Thank you for taking my call."

Mrs. Jones nodded and smiled, moving one leg over the other as she laid back against her seat. Joe Byrne was now the director of the entire CIA. He got his position through the events that occurred in Cairo.

"Great to see you again, Joe," she replied. "What's the progress so far?"

"Just from the looks like, really good. We haven't seen any big activity in a long while. I can actually come to work now without any stress or headaches what-so-ever."

She chuckled at his joke.

"But I do have some bad news though."

Mrs. Jones sighed and said, "The U.S. has agreed, haven't they."

Joe nodded. "So far, Britain, the U.S., France, Germany, and pretty much every single UN country are going to meet soon. It seems like Operation: Division just might happen."

Mrs. Jones shook her head.

Operation: Division was a proposal to all world governments by a few politicians who want funding for it and even the law of the "fifth and sixth freedoms". The proposal was that all governments will come together and form a brand-new agency known as "Division", one that acts outside of every law, using the fifth and sixth freedoms, which grants the ability to break _any_ law, as cover. The agency would be allowed to do anything from espionage to assassination, even kidnapping if necessary. Of course, the rest of the world wouldn't actually know that. The whole thing would be covered up as a 'World Wide Police' kind of thing. But it would mean the shut down of almost every government agency in the world. Or at least the ones funding Division. Not that Mrs. Jones didn't mind the idea of retiring early, but she was more of playing by the rules in any way she can. Even agencies like MI6 and the CIA follow simple rules, to keep them from becoming like Scorpia. Division would mean going against everything that she believes in.

"What is this world coming to, Joe?" she asked. "We're already in a time of peace. Or at least from enemies we can't see on the map. Scorpia is gone and a lot of organizations have followed them as well. Why can't our leaders see that there needs to be those who are willing to follow the rules?"

"The world is changing," Joe replied. "With this much peace going around, everyone is scared of losing it. It's no longer a time of heroes, Mrs. Jones. The world is asking for more security, and our governments are already believing that Division is the best option for keeping our world save."

"By becoming the very same people we are trying to stop," Mrs. Jones remembered back to an old saying that her old boss, Alan Blunt, once said. "_He who fight monsters must take care that he doesn't become one himself_."

Joe nodded to her words. "Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher. Smart words."

"The point is that we need to be careful not to become the enemy. There needs to be those who recognize that."

"If only the president and the prime minister could get their heads out of their asses and see that."

They both laughed.

After a few seconds of silence Mrs. Jones asked, "Any news on _him_?"

Joe knew who she meant and his smile change into a sad expression.

"No, I'm sorry, Mrs. Jones," he said. "There have been no sign of Alex Rider anywhere around the globe."

She shook her head and said, "How can it be so hard to find one teenager?"

"You forget that MI6 and Scorpia once trained him. Alex knows how to stay hidden, especially from us and Scorpia." Joe drew in a breath. "If we haven't found him by now, then it is because he doesn't _want _to be found."

"I have that Tom Harris kid keep appearing here, asking for him. Even after three years. He thinks we had something to do with it."

"And, in truth, we actually did," Joe admitted. "We asked him to do one mission to many. To take one risk to far. And we also asked him to make one sacrifice he wasn't prepared for. We did this to him, Mrs. Jones. Both us and Scorpia. He paid the price to allow freedom and peace to be safe."

"A price we should have never asked him to pay in the first place," she added.

"Even that Sabina Pleasure won't give up on him. I've got her father trying to figure out what happened to him and he's managing to breath down my neck with his clearance as a journalist and author." Joe sighed. "As far as everyone's concerned, Alex Rider is either MIA or dead."

"He isn't dead!" Mrs. Jones retaliated. "If there is one thing that I have learned from the Rider family is that they don't die easy."

"But you above all people should know that sooner or later, _every _Rider must die. They may have the luck of the devil, but they die sooner or later. John himself got blown up with his wife, Helen. And Ian got killed by that professional assassin, Yassen. Now Alex is the last, and as much as I hate to say it, his time will come as well. It's the destiny of every Rider to finally die from something."

"I don't believe in destiny," Mrs. Jones claimed with a serious voice.

"My point is this," Joe continued. "If Alex is alive, maybe it is best that we leave him alone. It's been three years. He's already an eighteen year old and will be turning nineteen within six months now. He's a legal adult and something tells me that he has had enough of our world."

"I just want to help him," Mrs. Jones expressed some sadness from her voice. "I feel like I owe him peace for once. He's sacrificed so much for this country and for yours. Including the world. Maybe we should tell the world what he has done to save them countless times."

"We can't, Jones. If we do just that, then we will definitely be shut down forever. Maybe even prison for child endangerment. The world will never be ready to accept what Alex Rider has done. It's beyond them. And besides, Sabina nearly couldn't take it when she found out, despite that it did work out well in the end."

"I know. I know." Mrs. Jones looked out the window towards the city of London. "I just cannot get him out of my mind."

"Neither can I." Joe suddenly turned his attention to something in his office. "Sorry, Jones, but I have to go. Urgent business with the president. Talk to you later."

The hologram disappeared and the phone conversation was over.

Mrs. Jones kept her eyes staring out the window, looking towards the horizon. And in the back of her mind, she asked herself.

_Where are you, Alex Rider?_

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**How was that for a first chapter? I do apologize for any grammar mistakes. I don't usually check for them, but sometimes I do when I can. I'm more of a writer and publish kind of guy. But I do hope that a lot of you like how the story is starting out. And yes, I did steal a few things from the ending of "Scorpia Rising", you can tell by reading through it. But I wanted to capture the way how the ninth book was handled and yet, also go a different direction that we originally knew how it went.**

**By the way, all credit goes to Anthony Horowitz. I'm just doing this for fun.**

**If you want me to continue please write reviews. I need to know what you thought of the story. ;)**


	2. Life Goes On

**The End of Alex Rider**

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**Just for the sake of writing I couldn't help myself with one. I figured this story needs more of what is going on, besides the obvious that Alex is missing and the world is at peace. I think it is time we catch up on how things are going with Sabina. **

**As usual, everything belongs to Anthony Horowitz, with the exception of new characters and some plot elements. Also, the picture for the cover of this story is not mine. I'm just having fun with all of this.**

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**Chapter Two:**

**Life Goes On**

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Sabina Pleasure ran out of the doors of the University of San Francisco, jumping with joy as she held her 'accepted' application papers. After a couple of months of trying, she finally managed to get into the college she wanted to go to. Getting into her car she took out her cell phone and called her mom.

After a few rings her mother, Elizabeth Pleasure, answered.

"Did you get in?" she asked, her voice filled with excitement and worry.

Sabina smiled and said loudly, "I got in! They accepted me!"

They both screamed with excitement, completely taking advantage of the moment. A couple of people had looked Sabina's way, but immediately went back to what they were doing.

"Congratulations, sweetheart! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, mom. I'm on my way home right now. We can celebrate with dad when he comes home."

"Or at least when he _manages _to get home," Elizabeth joked.

Sabina laughed.

"Love you, mom."

"Love you, too, Sabina."

She hung up and put the car into drive, making way for her parents' house that was out in the country, almost right in between both the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. It took a couple of hours to drive there.

Ever since she moved to the United States, Sabina fell in love with the country. She missed London and her old friends, but she met new ones and came to love the school that she was going to. Even her parents came to like where they were living too. Her father, Edward Pleasure, was now a successful journalist and author. His book on Damian Clay had sold over millions of copies, giving him a small fortune, one that he wisely put into an account in the Bahamas. He used some of the money to buy a new house that was recently owned by a rich doctor, who sadly died in a car accident. Sabina and her mom would joke that it was almost like a mini-version of a mansion. As for her mom, she was the ordinary house-wife and loving mother she always was. Sabina wondered what she was going to do when she finally moves out for college. The thought kept crossing her mind as thought about her future.

A lot of things had changed for Sabina since the last three years. She was now nineteen and had been graduated from high school for over a year. She took a year to raise money from former job and look for universities and colleges to apply to. As much as she wanted to finally get a move on with her life, she also didn't want to leave behind her loving parents and also the life that she knew. But life was moving on, with or without her. Her friends have all moved on themselves and she knew she couldn't allow fear to rule over everything. And besides, she knew that she couldn't disappoint her parents if she didn't go to college. Her father was willing to pay for her college, as a graduation present for all of the super straight As during high school.

Leaving the city behind, Sabina drove on the interstate highway, making a turn onto a smaller road that led to where her parents' house was. She pulled into the drive way and parked in the garage, closing the garage door as she entered the huge kitchen.

She smelt the fresh scent of tacos being made.

Elizabeth turned her head from the stove and smiled at her.

"I see you are making tacos tonight," Sabina put her purse and papers on the island, sitting on the edge as she watched her mom continuing to cook.

"I figured I would make something that both you and your father love. And besides, it's celebration."

"Got any soda for this _special _occasion?"

"No drinking the soda until it is time to eat, young lady!" Elizabeth joked and smiled. "You can help set up the table and get washed up."

Shaking her head, Sabina got off the edge of the island and got a couple of plates, silverware, and large cups from the shelves. She sat up the table in the living room and made way upstairs to her room.

Going into her bathroom, she stripped off all of her clothes and got into the shower. Once done, she got herself with a towel and wrapped it around herself. Looking up she saw herself in the mirror, recognizing how much she had changed, both physically and personally. She wasn't the fifteen or sixteen year old girl anymore. The last three to four years have changed her. She was more beautiful than she was when she was younger. Her hair was still dark, but it was longer now. Her skin was radiant and flawless. Even other features like the curves of her body and also her eyes have gotten better over time. Her mother own mother admitted that she is more beautiful than she was at that age. But Sabina also knew that she was more mature now. She was more aware of her surroundings and more serious. Something that she had received after what happened with Damian Clay. But she still retained that soft, young side of her. The side that she loved and never wanted to let go of.

Sabina got dressed, putting on a Lord of the Rings t-shirt and a pair of cut-jeans. She made way down stairs where her mom had already put the food on the table and filled the glasses with Pepsi.

Just as she reached the bottom, the front door of the house opened and Edward entered, wearing a black-tie suit.

"Hello, everyone, I'm home!" he announced.

Sabina ran towards him and jumped into his arms, making his briefcase fall to the ground.

"Whoa!" Edward said, surprised by her sudden action. "What is with uncontrollable excitement? And do I smell tacos?"

"Dad! I have some important news to tell you!" she almost screamed with excitement. "I got into the University of San Francisco!"

Edward hugged her back and lifted her off the ground, laughing with happiness.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart," he said as he put her back down. "Congratulations!"

"Oh, hello!" Elizabeth announced to them. "Food is getting cold here, and I will not have my hard work of my cooking go to waste as leftovers. Eat up."

Edward and Sabina laughed, taking their seats at the table as they began to eat. They talked and laughed at each other's jokes, enjoying good old memories.

"So, when do you start college?" Edward asked as he took a drink of his soda.

"In about a couple of months. I will be moving into one of the dorms in a few weeks now."

"I can't believe that my little girl is finally moving out of the house and going to college," Elizabeth said. "What am I going to do all by myself now?"

"I'm sure you will think of something," Sabina winked.

After a few seconds of silence, Sabina turned to her father, her face more serious now and yet, also sad.

"Did you manage to get anything on Alex, Dad?" she asked.

Edward's expression changed as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. He looked at Sabina, straight into her eyes and said, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Nothing. I tried all I could do to get to the director of the CIA, Joe Byrne. But all he is saying is that the investigation into Alex's disappearance is still going on and have yet to find him."

A tear appeared at Sabina's left eye. She wiped it away.

"Where is he?" she asked. "Where could he have gone? He just ups and leaves after Cairo, right after some really weird stuff that happened there with the American Secretary of State . I'm telling you, MI6 and the CIA are behind it."

"We can't prove it, Sabina," Edward said. "As far as the world is concerned, Alex Rider is missing of unknown circumstances and knowing the CIA and MI6, they most likely covered it up to make sure they don't get in the crossfire of it." He looked towards his wife and put his hand over hers. "It's been three years. Maybe it is time that we should leave it behind."

"I can't just leave Alex behind!" Sabina stated. "He's my best friend and he's hurt right now. The death of Jack has caused him a lot of pain and suffering. She was the last person in his life that he had. His entire family is dead. Maybe if I could somehow find him, then maybe I can convince him to come back. I can't just abandon him like the rest of the world has done. He's given so much, and has lost so much because of it. Because of _them._"

"I don't want to give up on Alex either, but how can we help him when he doesn't want to be helped? How can we find him when he doesn't want to be found? I know he has sacrificed so much for both the United States and Britain, even the world itself. He is a true hero. But as much as I hate to say it,_ life goes on_. You have a life now and I can't bare to think of you wasting it away, especially when you can be doing so much with it right now."

"But I can't live my life when I am always think of _him._" Sabina allowed more tears to come. "Alex is the greatest friend I've ever had."

Elizabeth smiled and said, "Something tells me that he is _more_ than just a friend. If I remember correctly, you and Alex sort of had a relationship going the last time he was here. In fact, it was a long distance kind of relationship."

"We gave it a try," Sabina admitted. "But it only lasted a couple of months, nothing more. We never actually went out on a date."

"My point is this," she continued. "Your feelings for Alex are more than just friendship. I can tell. Just by the way how you worry for him, and want to be with him." She took a breath. "Every since he disappeared, you never once dated any other boys. In fact, you barely even take notice of any boys anymore. Why is that?"

Sabina took in her words and realized she was right. She was known for being attracted to boys easily in her younger teenage years. But ever since Alex went missing, she never took any interest in boys. She had a few boys ask her out during her senior year, even to the prom. But she politely turned them all down.

"I'm sorry, Sabina," Edward said. "I know how much he means to you... but there comes a time when even people like us must move on."

Sabina nodded, hating herself for agreeing, but yet also knowing that he was right. She ate the rest of her taco and got up, heading to her room for the rest of the night. Her parents didn't take any offense to it. They understood.

Closing her bedroom door, she got into a pair of pajamas and got into bed, turning off the light as she struggled to fall asleep. Tears ran down her cheeks, getting the sheets wet. But she didn't care. Her heart was hurting and she couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh, Alex," she whispered to herself. "Where are you?"

* * *

Smithers didn't know for sure if this kid was brave or crazy. Maybe both. But either way, he respected the kid's loyalty to his friend and how far he was willing to go to find the truth.

Tom Harris was arguing with the lady at the desk of the Royal &amp; General Bank. He was getting close to yelling. A couple of security guards were a couple of feet away from snatching this kid and throwing him out onto the streets.

Smithers signaled the men to stand down and they listened to him, backing away from the kid.

"I just need to see whoever the hell is in charge!" Tom spoke in a serious tone. "I know this is where MI6 is. And all I'm asking is where the hell is my friend?"

"I'm sorry sir," the woman spoke in a calm, gentle voice. "I don't know what you're talking about. This is a bank, not a secret government agency."

"Yeah, I know. Top secret. Can't say anything or else I'm dead. I think it's a little different if someone already knows the secret, lady. Just tell me where Alex Rider is."

"Who?"

"ALEX RIDER!" Tom yelled furiously. "The teenager who saved he world like nine freaking times and also saved my life a few years back when that incident happened with the shooting at the school! Honestly, is this how you treat heroes now?! Throw them away like trash after you've taken everything from them?!"

Smithers was impressed with the woman behind the counter. She seemed completely calm, but yet also nervous at the same time. It made him wonder if she actually knew what this place actually was. Or if she was recruited by MI6 at all. The agency was known for hiring real civilians to run an actual banking business in order to make it look real.

He grabbed Tom by the shoulder, tightening his grip and said to the woman, "I've got this. _Again._" He pulled Tom towards the doors and brought him outside onto the concrete.

"You've got a lot of nerve to show up here after that last stunt a few months back," Smithers said as they came to a stop and faced each other. "Like I said before, there is no MI6 here. So get over yourself and go away."

"You can't lie to me, mister!" Tom pointed at him. "I see that limousine come to the back of the bank, where those huge fancy doors are at. Not to mention all of those security systems and fences as well. I mean, who has that kind of stuff?! Seriously?!"

"Powerful, rich people who have a thing for making sure they are save, while also making sure that they get the luxury of everything, including big fancy doors that lie on the other side of this building," Smithers replied. "Look, kid, I respect that you are doing everything to find your _friend_. But looking in the wrong places is not going to get you anywhere. Maybe it is time you let this go."

"I will never give up on Alex!" Tom's face reddened. "Not after everything that has happened. He's a hero and he deserves to live a normal life."

"Trust me when I say it, kid, there is no such thing in a world of spies."

Tom raised an eyebrow and said, "I thought you said you weren't MI6?"

"I'm not. I'm a businessman for a big bank that involved business. But I've seen a few things in my life to know that the word 'normal' doesn't exist, especially in the word of spies."

Tom began to laugh.

"And this is coming from a fat man."

Smithers smiled. Almost as if he knew something that the kid didn't.

"Take my advice, you won't find your friend here, or possibly anywhere else, so I suggest trying another way to find him. Because I won't always be here to stop a couple of guards from throwing you out or keeping the nice lady from calling the police."

With that, Smithers left him alone and went back inside, using the elevator to go down to see Mrs. Jones. He arrived in her office, taking a seat right in front of her desk.

"I see that Alex's friend is still trying to get his way in here," Mrs. Jones said as she stood in front of the hologram image of what looked like a window viewing London during the day. "Three years and he still can't take a hint."

"He knows more than we give him credit for," Smithers said. "I respect what he is trying to do, but he will be disappointed to know that we have no idea where Alex is."

Mrs. Jones sat down in her seat and looked at him, giving him the cold expression she also gave to everyone.

"Lord knows how much pain we have caused that boy," Smithers went on. "Damn Alan Blunt for even considering to use Alex like that. He went against everything we believed in by bringing him into this life."

"We've done horrible things to do the right thing," Mrs. Jones replied.

"But at least they were risks that we ourselves were willing to make. We knew the limits to some things and we kept ourselves from doing them. But the case with Alex...," he shook his head. "It never should have happened. Scorpia ruined his life. _We _ruined his life. All because the people demand more. When will we ever realize that we are going to far?"

"Until it is to later."

They sat in silence for a while.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Smithers asked.

Mrs. Jones shook her head.

"I'll be in my _special gadget office_ if you need me," he got up and walked out the door.

The TV volume was low, but Mrs. Jones could hear perfectly thanks to the silence.

_"In other news, world government leaders are arriving in Paris within the next few days to attend a meeting that will finally pass a law for a new kind of police system to handle world wide threats in almost every country involved. With the world entering peace for the first time, it seems like certain agencies like the CIA, MI5, MI6, ASIS, and even NSA will be replaced with something new and better. This is CNN with the latest reports."_

Not wanting to listen to anymore news, she pressed a button on her answering machine and got her assistant on the line.

"Get me Alan Blunt on the line, please."

* * *

**And that's the end of chapter two. How did you guys like it? Was it any good? I figured that I would give you guys a nice close up on what is happening with Sabina and Tom, since they are in this story. And I just had to throw in Smithers. Love that guy!**

**I really hope that you guys like the direction I'm heading in with this story. I'm trying to build up excitement for it and get the chapters moving so we can get to the action. And in speaking of which, I believe the next chapter will have action in it, including a 'prison break'. Hope you're excited, because it's coming. ;)**

**Also, for those who asked if Sabina and Tom are going to have a romance, I say 'no'. The romance isn't between them, it's between Alex and Sabina. I actually have some plans between them for this story. I just hope it makes up for the last Alex Rider story. **

**Again, please review back to me. If I'm to continue this story I need to have reviews telling me what you thought of it. I'm not a mind reader (although that would be cool).**


	3. Pain

**The End of Alex Rider**

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**Okay, you guys have once again earned your chapter for this story. Please enjoy!**

**This next chapter will introduce our main villain of the story. I know my last chapter wasn't all that great and I hope this one makes up for it with some action. I'm still working out a lot of the plot, which explains the huge hiatus from this story, but I got a few major points figured out. The whole chapter will focus on a prison break of a mysterious new enemy. I hope you all like it.**

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

**Pain**

* * *

The Mediterranean Sea was always known for shipping, tourists, and even border lines between Europe, Africa and Asia. But it was also known for one other thing. _Prisons. _Even during the Roman Empire, islands were used to hold criminals and civilians. Ranging from deadly killers to anyone who dared to stand up against the rich and powerful. The idea was passed on to the French, then to the British, and even to the Italians. And now, government agencies and organizations were doing the same.

Just off the coast of Spain, about 50 miles, an island, known by the codename _Purgatory_, served as a prison for only one inmate. The island was small and very hard to spot. It was the reason why the British bought it from the Spanish and then turned over to MI6. Officially, it doesn't even exist. Only one mile wide, a concrete wall going around the lines of the island itself, a facility, and at the center... a holding cell.

The prisoner being held had no identity and no past to speak of. Even the guards were curious as to who was being held on the island and what he did that got him a private cell for himself. The only thing anyone knew was that MI6 wanted him contained and interrogated every day. The questions being asked were also unknown to everyone, except for the Interrogator.

The cell was dark and had no windows. The door was made out of steel and had a time lock, never opening except in the morning and at night. The prisoner had shackles around his feet and wrists. Only allowed to move a couple of feet. There was a tray always in front of him, with food that was soft and not that tasteful, not to mention the water was a little dirty too. The bathroom was... complicated. Since it was right behind him. The only good thing about the cell was that it was large. But only to allow the Interrogator room to do his job.

The prisoner wore a nearly colorless orange outfit, like the ones on prison shows, except more dirty and lifeless. He also had a long beard and hair that nearly reached his chest. He sat on the cold, concrete ground, legs crisscrossed, eyes closed. He didn't have a bed of any kind. But he didn't need one.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise and the door opened, revealing a hallway that almost looked like a hospital. A man walked past two guards and carried with him a large box. He looked behind him as the door closed and the same loud noise sounded again. Looking back at the prisoner, he put the box down and took out a large metal stick. Pressing a red button, electricity sparked at the top.

Even at the moment, the prisoner didn't move or open his eyes. He knew the drill. The door opens, the Interrogator comes in and does his thing, nighttime comes and he leaves, which is where his mealtime is served. It was the same routine that has been done for the last twenty years.

The Interrogator kicked the tray aside and pressed the stick into the prisoner's left side. Letting out a small moan he fell to the ground, almost tasting the concrete. He could feel the electricity running through his body. After a few second, the Interrogator backed away and went straight for his metal box that was on the floor.

The prisoner didn't reply. In fact, he didn't said one word since being imprisoned on this island twenty years ago. Even during the torture he endured he never let out a word or a beg of mercy. He may have moaned in pain, but that was inevitable.

The Interrogator had ways of inflicting pain on people without making them bleed or suffer internal or external injuries that may require medical assistance. The people who built the prison were to smart for that. The rules were that if the prisoner had suffered any pain that may cause death, then he was to be left to die. He was never to leave the room and never to see anyone else besides the Interrogator. And even he knew the rules as well. If he was captured by the prisoner or killed, there would be no rescue or reclaiming his body. The island and cell were meant to be the prisoner's grave no matter what.

The Interrogator put his electrified stick down and opened the box, taking out a bottle of some kind of chemical and also a syringe. After filling the syringe up and closing the box, he turned back to the prisoner, who managed to sit back up to where he originally started.

"You know, I actually respect a man like you. For the last twenty years you have never once said a word and never once broke under my methods. Sure, you may have done some horrible things. Some even consider you worse than Yassen Gregorovich. But a man who can control himself and endure hell itself, that is a man I can respect. I've interrogated lots of men in my lifetime, all of them disappointments. But _you... _You're something else."

The prisoner just stared at the ground and closed his eyes again, waiting for what was to come next.

Picking up the electrified stick again, the Interrogator went forward and pressed it into the rib cage of the prisoner, making him fall backwards and hit the wall. He then injected him with the syringe, forcing the chemical to go into his body and through his system.

The prisoner could feel the chemical doing its work, his body burning up in an imaginary fire that felt so real. His organs felt like they were going to burst. The pain was excruciating.

"Now," the Interrogator began. "What was your mission?"

* * *

The sun started to settle over the ocean, disappearing over the horizon. The guards at the wall stood were sharing cigarettes and war stories. They used to take the job seriously, but at years, even decades, of patrolling the wall, they had become lazy and relaxed. To them, they saw no reason to guard someone that no one knew existed or even has tried to rescue. Their only concern was keeping the prisoner in.

However, due to the sun's bright sunset and the guards' laziness to pay attention, the scuba divers just a couple miles away from the prison were able to swim their way to the island and began climbing the wall with their special gadget gear. There were six of them, all carrying handguns, equipped with silencers, dressed in military upgraded black suits. They quickly and stealthily made their way over the wall and split up into two teams. One headed straight for the holding cell and the other towards the command center. Guards went down, one by one.

Team one headed down a series of stairs, coming to a hallway, where they made way to the command center. Two guards suddenly appeared around the corner, but just has they saw the three armed intruders and went for their simi-automatics, they just as quickly fell to the floor, dead. Arriving at the double doors of the command center, they took their positions and planted a charge on the doors.

Team two made their way to the holding cell, which was guarded by a security wall, one that couldn't be broken through without something more powerful than C4 or some charge. A large metal door stood in their way, which would lead down a straight-forward hallway towards the holding cell of the prisoner. They needed team one to shut down the electricity to the whole station, allowing them to get through the door. One of the three shot the two guards at the door and took their positions.

Team one blew the charge and quickly made their way inside, shooting anyone in the room. While one went straight for the computer and began shutting down the power grid, the other two stood watch. Within minutes, the entire system began shutting down, and they made their way to regroup with the others.

Once the lights went out, team two activated their night vision and opened the door, they ran down the hallway and shot the other two guards right by the metal door. Just as they took their positions once more, team one regrouped with them.

But they still had one problem. The door to the holding cell had it's own source of electricity and also a time lock. There was still a couple of minutes before it would unlock. All they could do now was wait.

* * *

The prisoner could feel the pain receding. He knew that the Interrogator was finally giving up for the day, to recharge and come back in the morning. A repeated process that shall go on and on.

The Interrogator packed up his stuff and turned his back on the prisoner, waiting for the doors to open at any minute.

"You know there is no shame in giving up," he said to the prisoner. "You've earned my respect. But there is no reason to keep going on like this. I can't promise you a release from this prison. You've earned your place here. But if you tell me what your mission was all those years ago, I can give you a quick, painless death. A way out from this hellhole. I can blame the drugs I've given you. That your body couldn't take any more. Pain always manages to break everyone."

The prisoner didn't reply. He sat back up and crisscrossed his legs again, his eyes closed.

Suddenly, the lights within the room went off, then the emergency lights came on a few seconds later.

"What the hell?" the Interrogator said in confusion.

The prisoner's eyes quickly opened and a small smile formed.

"Yes, you're right. Everyone always breaks."

The Interrogator froze in his spot and slowly turned around to look at the prisoner. He thought he was going insane. But he knew that what he heard was real.

"Everyone does break eventually, but it's through that experience of being broken that one learns to repair himself back together and learns to endure the same pain once more. Everyone is always worried about physically pain, when it is the mental and emotional pain they should be worried about."

The Interrogator's mouth dropped in shock as he heard the words leave the prisoner's mouth. Two decades and he finally hears the man's voice for the first time.

"I've already been broken. My childhood is no happy memory, just a living hell. My teenage hood, spent in anger and rage, training to become something better. And my adulthood... spent on misery and pain. Even now as I grow older, I'm still learning to endure and love my pain. What you are trying to do is impossible. I've already been broken once, so I can't be broken again. You can't destroy one's self if it has already been destroyed."

The Interrogator got his act together and said, "Is that how you are going to escape from this prison? By expressing how you can endure pain?"

The prisoner smiled and looked up at him, and said, "No. By rescue mission."

Suddenly, the door clicked open and a large group of men came through, their guns aimed at the Interrogator. Two of the men ran towards the prisoner and unlocked his shackles with the keys they found in the command center.

Touching his wrists for the first time in years, the prisoner walked forward and faced the Interrogator.

"Now the tables have turned for you. In fact, the tables are going to turn very soon. In a way the world will not know. My mission may have been postponed twenty years ago, but I will be free now to fulfill it. I warned MI6 to kill me long ago. That by putting me in a prison like this would only ensure that one day I will have my vengeance and fulfill my duty."

The Interrogator's heart began to race.

"The time of heroes and spies is over now. It's a dawning of a new age. An age of peace and prosperity for all, even those who have fought so hard to get here."

"You will never win."

"That's where you are wrong. I will fulfill my mission and I will have my vengeance against the one who put me in this prison."

The Interrogator chuckled and said, "To late for that. The man who captured you has been dead for a long time now. In fact, almost as long as you have been in here."

"I know. When I was first imprisoned here, I overheard the guards at my door talking about the death of the MI6. I instantly recognized the name. And for a split second, I almost gave up hope of vengeance. Until I heard one last thing before the door closed on me." He paused and drew a breath, making a smile one more.

"_Alex Rider_."

The Interrogator felt fear run through his body as he said the name. Like almost everyone else at MI6, everyone knew the name Alex Rider, the son of John Rider, MI6's greatest spy.

"I may not be able to kill John myself, but I will kill his son as an act of vengeance. It's the end of a family legacy. _The end of Alex Rider_!"

Without warning, the prisoner grabbed the Interrogator and spun him around, putting him in a choke hold and quickly twisting his neck until there was a very uncomfortable breaking noise. The metal box fell to the floor and so did the Interrogator's body. The prisoner showed no expression as he stared at the body.

They made their way back to the wall and jumped into the ocean, where the scuba diving equipment was waiting for them, including a spare for the prisoner.

The prisoner took every moment in. Enjoying the sunset, the stars appearing in the sky, the cold ocean water at his feet and body. He was enjoying freedom once more, after nearly two decades of hell.

They made their way back to the yacht that was waiting for them a couple miles out, where they made their way back to shore of Spain.

* * *

**Okay, please tell me that I'm off to a good start. Please let me know how I'm doing. I really want to know! I hope I got the villain down good enough for this one chapter. We will see more of him in a later chapters. As for Alex, we won't be seeing what he's up to just yet. I want to keep him under wraps for the time being. We will see the plot unfold later on. That is if I get positive reviews about this story.**

**I still can't promise if I will continue this story, but I can promise a new chapter if I get good reception. But if you all don't like it, then I have no reason to continue. It's all on you.**

**As always, I apologize for any grammar errors, which I should look more into more often. I'm not the perfect writer in the world, although I'm not trying to be. I just love writing stories.**

**Which reminds me, all credit goes to Anthony Horowitz.**

**See you guys in the next chapter (maybe).**


	4. Crossed A Line

**The End of Alex Rider**

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**Okay, since you guys are leaving such awesome reviews on the last chapter, here is a treat for your loyalty to the story. Another chapter!**

**We will see Mr. Alan Blunt again, for those who have missed him in last Alex Rider story. The chapter will focus on Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt, including some answers as to the last chapter, although it will only raise more questions than it will offer answers.**

**The more you guys review, the more I keep writing. I'm getting excited for this story and I really want to do it. But only you guys can give the power to do it. So please review! ;)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

**Crossed A Line**

* * *

Mrs. Jones was on her way out of MI6 headquarters when Smithers came running up towards her. She had barely touched the cold steel of the metal handle of the glass door once he reached her.

"We have a situation," he said.

Mrs. Jones sighed and asked, "What is it now? Has the Prime Minister come to tell us we are shut down?"

"No, it's about something else. One of our agents in the command center just found a distress call about one of our prisons being attacked."

Her eyes widened, but quickly got her act together and nodded.

Following his lead, they came to a elevator and stepped right in. Smithers entered in his security code and the elevator began to go down. Once the doors opened, they stepped out into the command world-wide center, where all activities going on publicly and privately was being watched.

They approached one of the agents, who was checking in on a situation in Russia on her supercomputer.

The agent noticed them as they approached and stood up straight.

"As you were," Mrs. Jones said. "What's the situation that Mr. Smithers says you found?"

The agent sat back down and pulled up a satellite footage of a prison just 50 miles off of Spain.

"About a couple of hours ago, I received word of a distress call from this prison," the agent said. "It's one of ours. But it's also not listed in our profiles or system. The moment I started looking into it a red flag came over it. If I'm not mistaken, I believe this is one of the _non-existent _prisons."

"All of our prisons are non-existent," Mrs. Jones replied.

"Yes, but even those are listed somewhere in our system. This one was built by someone who doesn't even want our system to know it exists and only one person has the power to do that in this agency."

"The Head of MI6 Special Operations," Smithers answered.

"But last time I checked I'm the head of Special Operations and I never ordered this prison to be made," Mrs. Jones looked at the footage on the screen. Her eyes widened as she came to a realization. "I know who ordered this."

"Who?" Smithers asked.

"Someone I was about to go see. And this time, I'm no longer going for advice, but to get answers."

She walked away from Smithers and the agent, taking the elevator back up to the surface and walking out the backdoor of the MI6 headquarters, getting into her limousine that was waiting for her.

"Mr. Alan Blunt's residents," she told the driver.

The driver didn't need an address for the location. He used to drive Mr. Blunt there once upon a time, when he was head of Special Operations.

While on the way to the countryside, where Blunt still lives in a fancy mansion, Mrs. Jones looked out the window, admiring the beautiful stars in the sky. She always did love looking up at the sky at them when she was a kid. Even now she still does. Some things never change, even for her.

It wasn't long until memories soon came rushing back into her head. Both good and bad. She remembered her two beautiful children, back in a day when she was a completely different woman. Back when she was a mother of two, single, and loving life as it came along. But then came the memories of after. After her children were mysteriously taken from her and was approached by Alan Blunt to join the agency to find her children. A time when she changed forever. Alex Rider appeared in her mind, as he always does. The regret and sorrow filled her heart until there was tears forming in her eyes.

There was one memory that came back to her. One that will always haunt her for the rest of her life. A day that could have changed everything. Whether it was for better or worse, she will never know. Only that it brought both good and bad in the events that came during that year.

* * *

**Four Years Ago**

* * *

_A 'much' younger Mrs. Jones sat in the chair of Mr. Alan Blunt's office of the old MI6 building. Back then she was different than the woman she would later become after being head of Special Operations in the three years she served as. It always amazed her on how looking back on certain events can really show you how different things could have been._

_Mr. Blunt sat his master chair, rubbing his head as he read the file report on Operation: Stormbreaker. They had already lost one of their best agents a few weeks before and Alex Rider was off training with the SAS to take that agent's place in the mission to discover if Herod Sayle is involved with the assassin Yassen Gregovich and also Scorpia, although Alex only knew about certain details of the mission. That he would infiltrate Sayle's home and see what he can find about him and his connection to his uncle's death._

_"This is a bad situation we are in, Mrs. Jones," he said. "If Scorpia and Yassen are involved with Sayle, then it can't be anything good. With Ian Rider's death, we have a very short window and Alex is our only hope at finding out if Sayle is planning anything horrible."_

_Mrs. Jones swallowed and asked, "Permission to speak freely, sir."_

_"Permission granted," he said. "What's your opinion on the matter?"_

_"I think we should reconsider sending in Alex Rider, sir."_

_Mr. Blunt frowned and asked, "Why should I do that?"_

_"Because we are crossing a line, sir. Alex is a fourteen year old kid, pretty much a teenager actually. We can't start using children to fight our wars for us. We may even encourage future generations to follow our bad example."_

_"It's just a one time mission only, Mrs. Jones," Mr. Blunt got up from his desk and walked towards the window, looking out towards the city of London. "We use Alex this one time and we protect the very citizens we swore to protect."_

_"It won't just be one time, sir. Lets for example that he does succeed and brings down Sayle and stops his plan. What happens after? The world will always need saving. There will come a time when we will need to stop another threat and Alex will be the first person we will run to." She paused. "This life isn't for him. John, Ian, all of us have taken an oath to protect the world and England, but that's our choice. We never gave Alex choice. We blackmailed him into this. This life will destroy him. All of the Riders who have been involved with us are dead. Alex is the last and we both know that if he goes down this path, he will meet the same fate."  
_

_Mr. Blunt turned around and looked at her._

_"Okay, lets say that I do reconsider and decide not to put him on the mission and leave him alone. Lets say I do that and we go in guns blazing to find out what he is doing. Lets just say that I do that and we end up coming up dry or that he wasn't behind anything. Word will get out and the public will hate us for going after a rich and powerful man. Or worse, lets say that he is planning something and by the time we try to stop him, he manages to hurt or kill innocent people. Are you willing to live with that Mrs. Jones? Because I sure am not going to."_

_Anger rose inside Mrs. Jones. Even her face was turning red. But she kept her cool and controlled herself._

_"And lets say that we do send in Alex and he manages to succeed," she replied. "But what about after? What will life be like for him once it is all said and done? Men and women have gone through this kind of state, some can live with it and some just can't. What happens if we ruin this boy's life?"_

_"What does it matter if we fail to protect the lives of millions?" Alan spoke right back. "I took an oath to protect this country, by any means necessary. Alex Rider is a weapon and I will not miss an opportunity to use him to stop threats against both this country and this world. Peace always comes with a price, Mrs. Jones. I'm making mine and so is Alex. My word is final and that is that! Now, leave the matter be!"_

_Mrs. Jones wanted to speak right back at him. But she held her tongue and nodded. She got up from her seat and walked right out the door of his office. A part of her wanted to go to the Prime Minister and tell him anything. To do something in order to save Alex's life from this. But a part of her knew that Alan was right about one thing. That millions will die if they fail._

_She made her decision and vowed to live with it, no matter what._

* * *

**Present Day**

* * *

"We're here," said the driver as he opened the door for Mrs. Jones.

Gently shaking her head, she got out of the limousine and turned towards the driver.

"Keep it running, I won't be very long."

The driver nodded.

She walked right up the concrete steps towards the giant mansion. She knocked on the huge wooden door and a woman answered.

"Mrs. Jones, what a pleasure," greeted Mrs. Blunt.

It amazed Mrs. Jones that she was still married to Alan after all this time. Either was truly in love with him or was just in for the money.

Smiling at her, she asked, "Is your husband home? I'm afraid I need to speak with him."

"Well, it beats secret service men coming. He's in his office, writing his next book. I'll company you to him."

Mrs. Jones kept her smile on and walked with Mrs. Blunt down a series of hallways. They soon came to a large office that almost resembled a library because of how many books there are.

Mr. Blunt had his back towards the two women, his fingers on the keyboard and his face in front of the computer.

"Honey, Mrs. Jones is here to see you."

Alan stopped writing and turned around. He no longer had grey hair but white instead. He even allowed a beard to grow out, although he has been keeping it from growing to far.

"Thank you, honey, you may leave us," he said.

Mrs. Blunt smiled and left without another word.

"Please, take a seat, Mrs. Jones," Alan present a seat just a couple of feet away from him. "I'm guessing you are here for advice. What can I help you with?"

Mrs. Jones nodded and took her seat.

"I'm here bout two things actually, one of which just happened recently today."

"I'm guessing you are about the Operation: Division that is happening," Alan said as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. "I must admit that I admire the government's need for more security and willing to go so far in order to protect the world."

"You always were the one who was willing to cross a line, no matter what it was," Mrs. Jones shook her head no when Alan moved the glass of whiskey towards her, signaling if she wanted some.

"In this business, there is no such thing as crossing the line," Alan took a drink. "I support the idea of this agency known as Division to exist. They will be able to do whatever it takes to do what needs to be done."

"By kidnapping, murder, even conspiracy against its own governments. Sounds more like treachery to me."

"Always by those who wish for nothing to change."

Mrs. Jones folded her hands together. "Do you think they will pass it?"

Alan thought about it for a few seconds and replied, "Most likely. The era of spies and assassins are now over. With the destruction of Scropia, government agencies have taken inspiration from Alex Rider to bring down criminal and terrorist organizations, even if they didn't know who Alex was. Now, the world is at peace, crime on a global scale is at low and the life of being an assassin has gotten a lot harder. True, there are some organizations out there who are still kicking and doing some bad stuff, but there will always be crime going on, even in cities. But what gets me the most is that no one knows, except for a select few, how it all started. It started with a fourteen year old boy, who took on assassins, businessmen, spies, and even the great Scorpia itself, and he brought all of them down. He proved that anything is possible."

Mrs. Jones closed her eyes as he mentioned Alex's name. Just hearing it never brings closure, especially with him still out there, somewhere.

"In speaking of which, have you managed to find Alex?" Alan asked.

Mrs. Jones looked at him and shook her head no.

Alan nodded and poured himself some more whiskey.

"We definitely trained the boy well. Staying in the shadows against MI6 and the CIA, a very hard thing to do. He always manages to impress me. If only he had become a full-time spy and never been discovered by the Prime Minister, we could have made even more progress."

"What we did to Alex was wrong," Mrs. Jones spoke back at him. "There is a reason he went dark on the world and us. We ruined his life and now he is in the wind, with no way of finding him."

"We did what we had to do to protect the world, Mrs. Jones," countered Alan.

"It still doesn't make it right. I should have stood up to you a long time ago. Even if it cost me my freedom, I should have. I live with this guilt and I can't even make it right. We _crossed a line, _Alan! One that we have to live with for the rest of our lives."

Silence filled the room. Both thinking about the words that were spoken.

"What was the second thing that you wanted to talk about, Mrs. Jones?" Alan asked.

"We just received a distress call from a secret prison of ours earlier today. It was attacked and a prisoner managed to escape. In fact, he was the only one."

"Oh, anything exciting to add, because it sound more like a problem that you handle on your own-"

"A prison 50 miles off the coast of Spain. One that isn't on any records of ours."

Alan's expression quickly changed and his hand that was holding the glass of whiskey was beginning to shake. Fear was in his eyes, something Mrs. Jones has never seen before and it scared her.

"How long ago did this happen?" he quickly said, putting his glass down.

"About a couple of hours ago," Mrs. Jones replied. "Why? Why is this prison so important? Who escaped?"

"Listen to me very carefully, Mrs. Jones. You need to put this as your top priority! And I really mean it! If you manage to find the prisoner who escaped, do not arrest him! Kill him! Something I should have done years ago!"

Mrs. Jones stood up.

"I'm not doing anything until you tell me what is going on! Now tell me, who is this man and why is this important to you?!" she ordered.

Alan stood up and began the story, "A long time ago, almost twenty years to be exact, John Rider discovered a man within the ranks of Scorpia, someone who was given a very important mission. This was a time when John was still undercover and hadn't been discovered yet. He was learning about the organization and the people who ran it. This man wasn't part of the inner circle, but he was important in some way. He had no identity, because he was never born with any records or anything kind of evidence of his existence. He never took on an identity, which is why he didn't have a name when he was imprisoned. John gave us the information about this man and helped us capture him. We prisoned him on that island and had a man known as the Interrogator torture him for information as to what his mission was."

"Did you succeed in getting that information?" Mrs. Jones asked.

"No. Even by the time I was forced to retire, the Interrogator couldn't break him still. I thought about letting you in on the secret, but I decided that it was better to leave him in his prison and rot in his very own hell. The man is killer. He has murdered countless people, some of them women and children for Scorpia during his time with them. This man is a monster, worse than Yassen Gregovich. The only other information John managed to recover was who gave him his mysterious mission."

"And who was that?"

"Julia Rothman."

Julia was once a high ranking member of the organization of Scorpia. A woman that John was forced to get close with and manage to make her fall in love with him to gain both her trust and the organization's. Alex faced off against her during Operation: Invisible Sword and managed to stop their plan to kill innocent children, which resulted in her death and the first failure of Scorpia.

"And unfortunately, our dear old Ms. Rothman is dead and in the grave. Is there anyone who can tell us about this man?" Mrs. Jones pressed on.

"Not that I'm aware of," Alan said. "I would try to talk to the surviving imprisoned Scorpia members. Zeljan Kurst, Dr. Three, anyone who was aware of his mission. And trust me, only the high ranking members knew about this guy. John Rider only found out about him through Julie and it wasn't an easy task. But the important thing is that you find him and kill him. It will be the best thing you can do right now."

Mrs. Jones took out her phone and began to dial headquarters.

Alan came forward and his hand on her shoulder as she began to head out.

"Make sure you find Alex as well," he said in a serious voice.

"Why?" Mrs. Jones raised an eyebrow.

"Because this man will come for vengeance. John maybe dead, but that won't stop him. He will come after Alex and he will kill him. Find him and have him go after this threat. If anyone can stop him, it's Alex Rider."

Mrs. Jones hesitated, and then said, "I won't bring Alex into this. He's suffered enough already."

"But he's already in this, Mrs. Jones. This man believes that the sins of his father must be passed on to him. Even if you put him in protective custody, it will do no good. He needs to put an end to this threat once and for all, or else he won't be safe ever. Alex is no longer on the grid, so he's in capable conditions to do what he needs to do in order to stop him." He paused and sighed. "I know that I've become a monster over time. What I said to you three ago about _'those who fight monsters must take care not to become one themselves', _I meant that as a warning to you, so that you don't become like me. I may support this Division operation, but I'm glad that you don't. You still have that innocent side of you and I'm happy for that. But please, if there was a moment when Alex needed to do something for himself and not just for the world, it's right now."

Mrs. Jones took his words in and nodded.

"There's also one more thing," Blunt began. "There is another reason why this man wants vengeance against the Rider family. It's more than just his imprisonment. When John captured him, he killed his-"

Suddenly, a small noise came from the window and Alan's voice stopped. His eyes closed and he fell to the floor. Thunder sounded in the background as rain began to fall. Mrs. Jones knew that a sniper was shooting at them and ducked as another bullet came from the window. She positioned herself right next to the desk and got down real low. More bullets came as the glass broke completely. Soon there was nothing but silence.

Mrs. Jones slowly moved towards Alan, her body completely on the ground, crawling. She touched his throat and felt no pulse. Just by the look in his eyes she could tell that the bullet had hit his heart.

_Alan Blunt was dead._

A part of her didn't know how to feel about it. She had known him for a very long time, longer than she knew her own children and own husband. She never agreed with a lot of things he had done in his life, but he was the closest person to a friend.

Mrs. Jones pulled out her phone and dialed MI6 Headquarters.

* * *

The sniper quickly disarmed his sniper rifle and started running into the trees, disappearing from sight in case someone might have saw him. He took out a phone and dialed a number.

After a few rings a voice came over the line.

"Is it done?" asked the one known only as the _prisoner._

"Yes, it's done," the sniper replied. "The target is down and confirmed dead. I also should note that there was a woman there as well. I wasn't able to get a clear shot on her. I had to leave before she or anyone else pinned my position."

"The mission was a success and that's what counts," replied the prisoner. "Move on to the next target. Operation Clean Sweep is a go and I want to stay on schedule."

"Yes, sir," the sniper hanged up and kept moving, allowing the rain and the trees to provide cover.

* * *

**Okay, some of you might be kinda mad that I just killed off a (sorta) main character. But I had to keep it interesting somehow. I really wanted this chapter to at least some answered questions as to what is going on. I hope you like how I did this chapter and that it was exciting in some way.**

**Once again, I apologize for any grammar errors or any errors involving words or sentences, I'm not perfect.**

**Please leave reviews on what you thought about this chapter. I really want to know.**


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